1 Chronicles 1 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

Adam, Sheth, Enosh, Adam, Sheth, Enosh - That is, Adam was the father of Sheth or Seth. Seth was the father of Enosh, Enosh the father of Kenan, and so on. No notice is taken of Cain and Abel, or of any of the other sons of Adam. One line of patriarchs, from Adam to Noah, is what the historian intended to give; and to have mentioned the posterity of Cain or Abel would have been useless, as Noah was not the immediate descendant of either. Besides, all their posterity had perished in the deluge, none remaining of the Adamic family but Noah and his children; and from these all the nations of the earth sprang.

How learned must those men be who can take for a text "The first verse of the first chapter of the first book of Chronicles." and find a mystery in each name; which, in the aggregate, amounts to a full view of the original perfection, subsequent fall, consequent misery, and final restoration, of Man! O ye profound illustrators of the names of men and cities! why do ye not give us the key of your wisdom, write comments, and enlighten the world?

Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered,

Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech,

Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. After Tiras, the Targum adds, "And the names of their countries were Africa, and Germany, and Media, and Macedonia, Bithynia, and Maesia, and Thrace." And in another copy, "Germany, Getia, and Media, and Ephesus, Bithynia, and Maesia, and Thrace."

And the sons of Gomer; Ashchenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. To this verse the Targum adds, "And the names of their countries were Asia, and Persia, and Barbary.

And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. The sons of Javan - "But the sons of Macedon, Alsu, and Tarsus, Ilation, and Dardania, or, according to others, Elisha, Alam, Titsas, Achzavia, and Dardania, Ridom, and Chamen, and Antioch." So says this Targum, which I shall henceforth designate by the letter T.

The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim - "Arabia and Egypt." - T.

And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raamah, and Sabtecha. And the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. Seba, and Havilah - "Sindi and Hindi, and Semadaei, and Libyes and the Zingitae; but the sons of the Mauritanians, Demargad and Mesag." - T.

And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth. He began to be mighty upon the earth - "He began to be bold in sin, a murderer of the innocent, and a rebel before the Lord." - T.

And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, Ludim, etc. - "The Nivitaei, the Mariotaei, the Libakaei, and the Pentaskenaei." - T.

And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (of whom came the Philistines,) and Caphthorim. Caphthorim - "The Cappadocians." - T.

And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth, Canaan begat Zidon - "Canaan begat Bothniam, his first-born, who built Sidon." - T.

The Jebusite also, and the Amorite, and the Girgashite,

And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech.

And Arphaxad begat Shelah, and Shelah begat Eber.

And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan. The name of the one was Peleg - "Because in his days the inhabitants of the earth were divided according to their languages. And the name of his brother was Joktan, because in his days the years of men began to be shortened, on account of their iniquities." - T.

And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah, Joktan begat Almodad - "He divided and measured the earth by lines. Sheleph; he assigned rivers to be boundaries. Hazarmaveth; he prepared a place of snares to kill by the highways. Jerah; he built inns, and when any person came to eat and drink, he gave him deadly poison, and so took his property." - T.

According to these traditions, the two first were geographers; the third, a public robber; and the fourth, an unprincipled innkeeper, who gave poison to his rich guests, that he might get their property. Such things have been done even in modern times.

Hadoram also, and Uzal, and Diklah,

And Ebal, and Abimael, and Sheba,

And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan. And Ophir - "Whence gold is brought." And Havilah; "whence pearls are brought." - T.

Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, Shem - "The great priest." - T.

Eber, Peleg, Reu,

Serug, Nahor, Terah,

Abram; the same is Abraham.

The sons of Abraham; Isaac, and Ishmael.

These are their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,

Mishma, and Dumah, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,

Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These are the sons of Ishmael.

Now the sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bare Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. And the sons of Jokshan; Sheba, and Dedan. Keturah, Abraham's concubine - Abraham's pilegesh, or wife of the second rank; she was neither whore, harlot, nor concubine, in our sense of these words.

And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Henoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these are the sons of Keturah.

And Abraham begat Isaac. The sons of Isaac; Esau and Israel.

The sons of Esau; Eliphaz, Reuel, and Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah.

The sons of Eliphaz; Teman, and Omar, Zephi, and Gatam, Kenaz, and Timna, and Amalek.

The sons of Reuel; Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

And the sons of Seir; Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah, and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan.

And the sons of Lotan; Hori, and Homam: and Timna was Lotan's sister.

The sons of Shobal; Alian, and Manahath, and Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon; Aiah, and Anah.

The sons of Anah; Dishon. And the sons of Dishon; Amram, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

The sons of Ezer; Bilhan, and Zavan, and Jakan. The sons of Dishan; Uz, and Aran.

Now these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel; Bela the son of Beor: and the name of his city was Dinhabah. Before any king reigned over - Israel - See Genesis 36:31 (note), etc., where the same verses occur, as I have supposed borrowed from this place; and see the notes there.

Bela the son of Beor - "Balaam the impious son of Beor, the same as Laban the Syrian, who formed a confederacy with the sons of Esau, to destroy Jacob and his children; and he studied to destroy them utterly. Afterwards he reigned in Sodom; and the name of his royal city was Dinhabah, because it was undeservedly given to him." - T.

And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead. Bela was dead - "Being killed by Phineas, in the wilderness." - T.

Jobab the son of Zerah - Supposed by some to be the same as Job, whose book forms a part of the canon of Scripture. But in their names there is no similarity; Job being written איוב aiyob; Jobab, יובב yobab. See the notes on Job, and the parallel place in Genesis.

And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead.

And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, which smote Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Avith. Smote Midian - Nothing is known of this war.

And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his stead.

And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his stead. By the river - "Shaul of Plathiutha, a great city, built on the banks of the Euphrates." - T.

And when Shaul was dead, Baalhanan the son of Achbor reigned in his stead.

And when Baalhanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his stead: and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. Daughter of Mezahab - This word מי זהב mey zahab, is literally the golden waters; or What is gold? The Targumist paraphrases thus: "Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, was so earnest and diligent in business that she became immensely rich; but when she was converted, she said, What is this silver, and What is this gold? That is, They are of no real worth.

Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were; duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth, Hadad died - "And his kingdom ended; for his land was subdued by the children of Esau, and the dukes of Edom ruled in the land of Gebala." - T.

For various particulars in this chapter, see Genesis 10 (note) and Genesis 36 (note), and the parallel places.

Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar,

Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom. Commentary on the Bible, by Adam Clarke [1831].